#spinefarmrecords — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

2026-09-05

Airbourne – Airbourne Review By Grin Reaper

Though I’ve been aware of Australia’s Airbourne and their unapologetic AC/DC worship for years, I’d never listened to an album before picking up the promo for their sixth LP, Airbourne. Despite not being well-versed in Airbourne’s back catalogue, I spent years absorbing their main muse poolside, barside, and carside. Thus primed, I not only jumped into Airbourne, but the band’s other five albums as well, immersing myself in their blues rock-infested waters. In the promo notes, Airbourne asserts this self-titled effort is their best one yet. Maybe, but we all know it’s a long way to the top if you want to rank ‘n’ roll. So does Airbourne leave us thunderstruck, or feeling like the band’s just beating around the bush?

As on prior outings, Airbourne delivers reliably raucous tunes that wear their inspirations on the sleeve. “Gutsy” leads off Airbourne with a rowdy anthem that never fails to get my fists pumping and the floor thumping, and it plays like an amped up version of “Heatseeker” as well as Airbourne openers “Ready to Rock” and “Breakin’ Outta Hell.”1 It’s a well-constructed hard rock banger that captures AC/DC’s free-wheeling, scene-stealing antics, and I haven’t been able to stop playing it. “Kid in a Candy Store” and “Hells Got No Vacancy” exude similarly compelling charisma, anchoring essential tracks throughout the album’s runtime. The sleigh bells and holiday theme on “Christmas Bonus” will quickly remind listeners of “Mistress for Christmas,” and the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and straight-shot riffing recall moments throughout AC/DC’s discography. Despite all the references to Acca Dacca, though, Airbourne tailors the formula just enough to create music that stands alongside their biggest inspiration rather than completely in its shadow.

Besides adding a few other influences to round out their sound, Airbourne swells with infectious cock rock swagger. “Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)” thrums with The Cult-like energy, specifically recalling “Fire Woman”‘s lascivious luster, while “Rock N Roll Ya” bites with Def Leppard teeth and “Bogotá” breaks into Van Halen noodling, even throwing in some spoken-word shenanigans evoking “Hot for Teacher.” Throughout Airbourne, the band showcases tight songwriting and instrumental prowess as they toe the line between arena-ready choruses and sweaty rock ‘n’ roll braggadocio. Singer/guitarist Joel O’Keeffe sizzles with Brian Johnson grit and Angus Young licks, capturing the one-two punch that makes AC/DC so damn effective. Joel’s brother Ryan mans the drums, loosing a workmanlike performance befitting famed pocket drummer Phil Rudd, while longtime bassist Justin Street locks in the low-end with no-frills grooves supporting the direct nature of Airbourne’s music. Newcomer rhythm guitarist Brett Tyrrell completes the quartet, complementing O’Keeffe’s lead lines with Malcom Young-like accents.

I imagine Airbourne would have been a juggernaut back in the 80s, and here they bring the olde ways to current days. Airbourne was recorded on tape, and though it’s polished, the album boasts an authentic crunch that sounds big and, in its best moments, dangerous. Glimpses of menace and originality flash often enough to make Airbourne exciting, yet I find that Airbourne takes too few risks in their songwriting. Although individual passages crackle with intensity, songs’ overall effectiveness gets dulled by the sense that the band is playing it safe, both by staying close to inspirations and earlier material. The lyrics also present a mixed bag, where cheeky double meanings are a delight, but other times can be too on-the-nose (“Who Put the Rhythm in You”). And while Airbourne mostly does a good job whetting tracks’ distinct identities, some moments blur together (“Here She Comes” and “Who Put the Rhythm in You”).

Airbourne doesn’t supply any new experiences, but it packs enough fun to make time with it worthwhile. Singalong choruses, bawdy double entendres, and head-bopping, air guitar-inducing leads keep me coming back. After listening to their discography a couple of times to prepare for this review, I’m not completely convinced that this is Airbourne’s best record yet, but it might be. Their first two albums evidenced a band establishing their sound, and the next two stretched the limits of what came before as they evolved their songwriting. Now seven years removed from fifth album Boneshaker, this foursome from Down Under breaks their silence with a rousing platter of hard-rockin’ heat that takes what came before and ties it all together. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just looking for fun new tunes, you won’t regret getting Airbourne.

Rating: Good!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Dirty Stream Done Dirt Cheap
Label: Spinefarm Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp 2 | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 20263

#2026 #30 #ACDC #Airbourne #AustralianMetal #DefLeppard #HardRock #HeavyMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfTitled #Sep26 #SpinefarmRecords #TheCult #VanHalen

#acdc #airbourne #australianmetal #defleppard #hardrock #heavymetal

@𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 @[email protected]

2026-05-31

Black Label Society – Doom Crew Inc. #SpinefarmRecords #GrooveMetal #CompactDisc #Kombi

#spinefarmrecords #groovemetal #compactdisc #kombi

Written in Music @[email protected]

2026-05-05

Recensie: Black Label Society – Engines Of Demolition (EN) ★★★★
https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/black-label-society-engines-of-demolition-en/

#Music #Metal #BlacklabelSociety #SpinefarmRecords

#spinefarmrecords #blacklabelsociety #metal #music

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected]

2026-04-27

Atreyu – The End is Not the End Review By Kenstrosity

There was a time in my youth when bands like California’s Atreyu, Killswitch Engage and their ilk were all I wanted to listen to. Whether this was due to the novelty of the sound in its era, coinciding with my novice experience with metal as a whole, or perhaps the reflection of my own earnest angst resonating from the common themes of the scene, records like As Daylight Dies or Lead Sails Paper Anchor marked core albums in my metallic upbringing. However, with only two exceptions, I never kept up with any of these bands as time passed. My tastes shifted and evolved. For a time, I forgot entirely about Atreyu, until the itch to sing a few of their songs in the car became too much to bear. And so, when I saw Atreyu were not only still active, but about to release a new record aptly entitled The End is Not the End, I had to know how almost 20 years of time away changed my appreciation for Atreyu.

One thing that 20 years did not change was Atreyu’s style. Since my introduction to them with Lead Sails Paper Anchor, an album I still hold in high regard for better or for worse, they firmly entrenched their metalcore base with poppy beats, addicting choruses, and earnest, if ham-fisted, lyrics. Thankfully, they also boasted one of the better vocalists in a style hell-bent on employing whiny tenors with unrefined technique, both in harsh and clean styles. If anything, Brandon Saller has only gotten better with time and practice. The rest of the lineup shifted and swirled until settling into its current form in 2020,1 but other than a marked uptick in pop-centric songwriting, Atreyu preserved the core of their 2007 sound remarkably well.

This both works in their favor and leaves me cold. On one hand, killer hit-makers that are impossible to resist (“Break Me,” “All for You”) recall the shockingly effective simplicity of post-grunge-pop acts like Daughtry or Shinedown at their peak. On the other hand, a distinct lack of unique ideas or distinct identity for the vast majority of its 45-ish minute runtime (with the exception of “Ego Death” and “Children of the Light”) leaves me starving for something of substance. At times, as in the generic “Death Rattle,” small songwriting choices (the crowd-core “MOTHERFUCKER” shout being one) cause a minor recoil in my spine as it recalls the more embarrassing moments of my teen years. However, album standouts “Children of Light” and “In the Dark” evoke a legitimate callback to classic In Flames-style melodic death metal, rippling with energetic gallops and even a cool tandem guitar/saxophone solo. These songs don’t go so far as to abandon Atreyu’s pop sensibilities or cheesy lyrics, but they are big fun nonetheless and are sure to please crowds mightily.

Yet I struggle to recall anything from The End is Not the End once it… well… ends. As happy as I am pulling my favorite songs like “All for You” or “In the Dark” for playlist duties—which would eventually allow them to find purchase in my memory—I can’t help but stew in disappointment that nothing here sticks with the immediacy of past bangers like “Doomsday,” “When Two Are One” or “Falling Down.” I can appreciate that The End is Not the End is an altogether more hopeful and uplifting record compared to that angsty, bitter predecessor of my youth, but the shift in tone hasn’t helped the songwriting. On that front, The End is Not the End sounds like Atreyu going through the motions, spinning their wheels, and making very little forward momentum. In turn, I found very little here to grab onto and even less that grabbed me first.

I still want to go to bat for these guys. As many times as I’ve heard my comrades and co-conspirators belittle Atreyu, I can’t help but protect the soft spot I have for them. At the same time, The End is Not the End is not going to convince any of the naysayers, and hasn’t won me over either. There are great songs here with choruses that I would have a blast belting out at a drop of a hat. A couple of small sparks of unexpected heft remind me that Atreyu are, indeed, part of the metal landscape, albeit on the poppiest fringe of the core region. All in all, though, I’m not going to think at all about The End is Not the End 20 years from now. Alas.

Rating: Disappointing.
DR: Use Your Imagination | Format Reviewed: Streamfarm
Label: Spinefarm Records
Websites: atreyuofficial.com | facebook.com/Atreyu
Releases Worldwide: April 24th, 2026